Forevermore
by TheMorgtician
Summary: After escaping the clutches of Baron and his men, Miss Peregrine and the children set off on their newest adventure, finding a new place to call home. Alma calls on an old friend for help. Meanwhile, an evil still lurks in the darkness haunting Miss Peregrine and her children. [Movieverse] Rated T for violence and language.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello!**

 **There are just a few things I'd like to say before you read this!**

 **Firstly, thank you for taking the time to read this story. I hope you enjoy it!**

 **Secondly, this is set directly after the movie. It picks up right were they left us off in the movie. This will have my own character in it.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Miss Peregrine's, just borrowing it for a bit!**

 **Enjoy~**

* * *

"Miss Peregrine!" Emma called out as the peregrine falcon landed on the ship. Alma quickly transformed back into her human form before her oldest charge wrapped her arms around her waist and hid her head in her neck. Alma was stunned to say the least. It had been a while since the last time her oldest girl had hugged her. She mimicked the action, paying no mind to her injured arm. She held the girl and blinked back tears of joy. All she could do in this moment the birds above that she was unharmed.

* * *

 _Terrified would be an understatement for how Alma was feeling at this moment. She had no fear for herself, but it was all for her children. She knew well what was waiting for her when she entered the cage and left her children in the hands of Mr Portman. All she could do was pray to the birds above that he kept his promise and looked after her children._

 _"Why, what's with the long face Miss Peregrine?" Barron's voice taunted. She didn't bother to look at him. She knew he was taunting her. Her heart ached for her children. "I will say one thing. I do admire your bravery. I've raided plenty of loops, as you know. And I must say, you are the first ymbryne that I've meet that has willingly given herself up for her children."_

 _Alma looked at the man, in what he could only imagine was shock. It was hard to tell though, considering she was a bird, and he wasn't exactly a bird expert. So, he continued his story. "I'll never forget the time I raided Miss Cuckoo's loop. She begged me to let her go. Offered me the children if I spared her life." Barron could see that the falcon was still giving him her full attention. "I'm not joking either She told me where they all were hiding and even showed me where!" Barron let out a dark laugh. "I took the children of course, and then when my friends were done with them, we took her."_

 _Alma couldn't believe what he had said. Never in her years of an ymbryne had she ever thought of putting herself before her children. That was her job. She was their protector. That was her purpose. She ruffled her feathers in anger. As much as she hated to admit it, though, she couldn't bring herself to feel sad that her sister had met her fate._

 _They fell into an uncomfortable silence again. It was only broken when her capturer spoke again. "I do admire your bravery."_

 _"Then let me go!" Alma tried to say. But all that came out were screeches._

 _"I can't speak bird, but I have a suspicion that you said something along the lines of 'let me go'." The bird nodded. "I can't do that you see. Even if I wanted to. I was given the mission to obtain you. And I won't let my boss down. He wants you, you see. Something about being the 'best, most powerful ymbryne'. He's sure with your power, we'll be immortal this time." And just like that he placed the blanket over her cage, plunging her into darkness._

* * *

As if sensing their ymbryne had arrived, all the children ran to her and embraced her. "I'm so glad you're safe." Emma mumbled.

Alma could feel the wetness of tears on her skin. She tightened her hold. While she had never been one to show an excessive amount of affection towards her wards, she couldn't stop herself right now, even if she wanted to.

"I can say the same, my dear. Are any of you injured?" Alma questioned as she pulled back from their hug, blinking the tears of joy away. From what she could see of them, the children seemed to be unharmed.

"We're fine. Are _you_ okay?" Enoch asked. He had noticed when she landed that she seemed to be favoring her left arm. _Not to mention she was left with those Wights. There's no telling what they actually did to her._

"I'm fine, Enoch." The dead-raiser inwardly sighed. Their ymbryne was definitely stubborn, but he knew very well that she wouldn't show any form of weakness when it came to them. It was just who she was. It was one of the many things he admired about her.

"Where are we going to go Miss P?" Hugh asked. All the other children turned to the matriarch.

"The only place we can go right now, children." Alma said. "It appears that we'll have to give Lady Eleonora a visit." All of the children's faces light up with excitement and cheers were heard. All except one. Jake leaned over to Olive.

"Who's that?" Jake questioned. He couldn't recall his grandfather ever telling him about an Eleonora.

Olive gave him a confused look. "Abe never told you about her?" Jake shook his head. "Oh, well she's one of Miss Peregrine's friends. She visits us a couple times a year. She's wonderful Jake! You'll love her!"

"Is she a ymbrybe like Miss Peregrine?"

"No Jake." Alma said. "She's an old friend. Her peculiarity is very… rare. I can't say I'm surprised that Abe never spoke if her. Eleonora prefers to keep in the shadows. And we respect that." _And it's not like we have anywhere else to go. And she's the only one that I can trust right now. Especially after everything Barron told me._ Alma thought to herself. She straightened her shoulders and walked into the bridge and into their new adventure.

* * *

 **Sorry it's so short! The next chapter will definitely be longer!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello Everyone!**

 **I'd like to thank anyone who has reviewed/favorited/or followed this story! In this chapter we'll get to meet Eleonora!**

 **Enjoy~**

* * *

 _She straightened her shoulders and walked into the bridge and into their new adventure._

* * *

"Where are we going Miss. Peregrine?" Jake questioned. They had been sailing for hours. He had no idea where they were going, not that he distrusted her. His question was of mere curiosity.

"We're going to the island of Viltaria, Mr. Portman." Alma responded quietly. It was currently one forty in the morning and most of the ship's inhabitants were sleeping. They had managed to find a couch that they had been able to salvage. They had used Olive's ability to dry it out, and this is where most of her children currently slept. Emma sat in the middle, with either of the twins at her sides. Olive sat off to the right of them, with Claire on her lap. Fiona and Hugh sat beside Olive. Fiona's head rested on his shoulder. Horace sat to Emma's left, with Brownyn curled up beside him. There was an indent beside them, showing that Millard was there as well. Her eldest boy was asleep at the desk. Enoch's arms were folded, supporting his head. Jake was sitting at the other desk, barely keeping his eyes open. He suppressed yet another yawn.

Alma smiled to herself. She had overheard the conversation between her eldest children. They were worried for her. Their plan had included taking turns 'keeping an eye' on her. "You can go to sleep Jacob. We'll arrive at the island at four o'clock."

"No thank you. I'm not tired." Jake said looking straight ahead. It was a lie, and he was well aware the woman steering the ship knew. But he had and the other three had made a deal that they would keep a watchful eye on the ymbryne, each taking a shift watching over her to make sure that nothing happened while the others slept. Once Enoch had pointed out her favoring her arm, they started to notice other small details. The three had warned him that their ymbryne was stubborn and refused to care for herself until they were taken care of. Right now, that meant her steering the ship to this unknown island.

 _If I keep sitting here in silence I'm going to fall asleep._ Jake thought to himself. "So, Miss. P, can you tell me more about this Island and Miss. Eleonora?"

"Lady Eleonora, Jacob." Alma corrected. "She's an old friend of mine from when I was a young adult studying under Miss. Avocet. She and I became very close friends during our stay. As for the Viltaria, it's a small island that she calls home. It's approximately six hours off the shore of Puerto Rico."

"Olive told me she wasn't an ymbryne, is that true?"

"Yes. You see, saying Eleonora's peculiarity is rare would be putting it lightly. There has never been another case like her."

"What's her ability?"

Normally she wouldn't disclose her friend's gifts, but seeing how Jake could be considered one of her wards, she felt the information she was going to tell him was safe. "Jacob, it is very important that you do not discuss her abilities with anyone outside of here. Only a handful of people know about her and her abilities. Even when we were younger she hid her true abilities." Jake nodded. "Eleonora's ability is that to mimic other's powers."

"Wait, she can copy anyone's abilities?" Jake questioned.

Alma nodded. "Yes, you see all she needs is the slightest touch from a peculiar to gain access to their gifts."

"That's so cool."

Alma smiled. "Yes, I suppose it is."

"Why doesn't she live with you though? If she's not an ymbryne and has no one to take care of, why does she live out on this island by herself?"

"She is a very solitary person, Mr. Portman." Jake could tell that there was something she wasn't telling him. He also noticed that Miss. Peregrine had said 'abilities'. _So that means she has more than one. I wonder what else she can do._

* * *

True to her word, they arrived on the island at exactly four o'clock in the morning. While the sun had yet to rise, yet Alma could see the island perfectly. It was fairly large for being 'undiscovered'. Its beach was white as snow. A thick jungle of trees created a wall around the inside of the island.

All of the children were still asleep, Jake had finally joined them. Alma smiled as she looked over her wards. She knew they would be safe here. Movement caught Alma's eyes. She turned her head quickly to try and find the cause of it. At times like this she was grateful that her sight and hearing were more advanced due to her peculiarity. Narrowing her eyes, she quietly left the bridge, making sure the door was closed tightly behind her. She stalked to the front of the ship, while her eyes scanned the forest.

"Who are you." Alma tensed. Whomever the voice belonged to was standing directly behind her. Slowly, she turned around to face them.

She was greeted with the sight of a woman. She was slightly crouched and her arms were close to her sides, showing she was ready to attack at any moment. Her fists were covered by black gloves. Alma's eyes traveled to her face. She was a woman. She appeared to be in her late twenties. Her unnaturally bright red hair framed her face with long waves that flowed midway down her back. Her eyes were the lightest shade of silver. She wore a black halter top that tied around the back of her neck. A long black trench coat and grey, ripped jeans.

The fierce look she had in her eyes disappeared as realization dawned on her. "Birds, Fay. I thought you were an intruder or something. I almost knocked your head off."

"It's nice to see you too Ellen." Alma smiled, relaxing her tensed muscles. Alma stuck her hand out, ready to shake the other woman's. Eleonora looked from her friend's hand and back to her. Without a second thought she wrapped her arms carefully around the other woman's waist.

"You think you're getting off without giving me a hug, Fay?" Ellen laughed as Alma tried to remove herself from the woman's deathly tight hug. Eleonora had always been an affectionate person, even when they were younger.

"I really do wish you would stop calling me that." Alma said as she finally wiggled free. "I am not a child anymore, nor do I even understand how you came up with that dreaded nickname to begin with."

"Alma Le _FAY_ Peregrine, get it?" Ellen chuckled as she nudged the ymbryne's good shoulder. "I'm older than you so I don't exactly have to call you 'Miss. Peregrine'. And besides, Fay, it's a nice name and I love it. So, unless you think you can make me stop, I'm going to continue to call you 'Fay'." Alma huffed but didn't bother arguing. She knew that she would never be able to get Ellen to do something she didn't want. Eleonora gave her friend a wide toothy grin and the two shared a laugh.

Once they were done, Eleonora spoke again, this time with a serious look on her face. "What happened, Fay? Where are the children and what happened to your loop?"

Alma sighed, the events of the last days flooding her memories. "I'll tell you about the events later, El. For now, though, we need a place to stay. My loop is closed and we have nowhere to go. I need your help."

"Do you really think you have to ask? Mi casa es su casa. You know that. You and the children are more than welcome to stay with me as long as you'd like. Granted, it's not 1940 and I have up to date technology, but you're more than welcome all the same. Where are the rugrats anyway?"

As if on que, the doors of the bridge burst open. Footsteps could be heard, coming their direction. The two adults turned their attention to source of the noise. Enoch stood in front of them , breathing heavily. He eldest charge had unshed tears in his eyes. Before either Alma or Ellen could move, Enoch ran to his surrogate mother and pulled her into a hug.

Eleonora gave Alma a quizzical look. Never in her many years of knowing the children had she ever seen Enoch hug Alma. Alma sighed and held onto him just as a mother would do for her own troubled child. She rubbed soothing circles on her boy's back. Whatever was bothering him had to be serious for him to act in such a way. "It's okay Enoch. I am right here. What's wrong?"

"I woke up and didn't see you, or hear you. I thought something had happened to you. I was so worried, mother." The dead riser sniffled. He was never one to show emotion, but the past two days had definitely taken a toll on him and his siblings. He would never forget what happened and how useless he felt when Barron came.

* * *

 _"You're sacrificing yourself and all of us, for Jake?" Enoch regretted the words as soon as they left his mouth. He knew that she would never do something like that. She was their mentor. Their protector. Their mother._

 _"Mr. Barron travels with a Hollow, Enoch. Once it arrives here, we're all dead." Miss. Peregrine said with a serious look in her eyes._

 _"Enoch, only Jake can see them. She means he's our only hope." Horace said. Realization hit him all at once. Horace was right. She was giving herself up, to save them._

 _He watched her as she moved towards the parlor. He watched his siblings file into the room. Each staring at their ymbryne with sadness._

 _When it came time for him to enter the room, he had to force his feet to move. A million thoughts ran through his mind, but the most prominent being, 'How could you doubt her' and 'Those are the last things you'll ever say to her'._

 _As he approached her, the two had a silent conversation._

 _'I'm sorry'. Enoch's eyes said as he placed his hand over hers._

 _'I know'. His ymbryne nodded. He felt relieved to know that she wasn't upset with him._

 _Enoch shot Mr. Barron the best death glare he could muster. A glare of nothing but pure hatred. Miss. P had always taught them that polite persons don't hate others. He couldn't help himself however. He hated the man that was standing behind his protector, smiling as he ruined their world. He balled his hands into fists and walked past his ymbryne._

 _After Emma in the twins walked in, Miss. Peregrine held the doors. "It was my pleasure to care for you all." Watching the tears fall from her face was more than enough for Enoch. He knew then and there that no matter what he would save his mother. He would protect her, just as she did him._

* * *

"You thought I was gone?" Alma questioned. He nodded. Her heart stopped. She never would have imagined that sacrificing herself for her children would cause them this much pain. She always knew they all had a great relationship, but she tried to keep herself as distanced as she could and keep it professional. She always looked at is as her job. Her duty to care for these children. But now, she realized that somewhere along the line, it became more than a job. These kids were her life.

Alma released her hold on Enoch. The boy kept his eyes on their feet. "Enoch, look at me." The boy slowly lifted his head to meet her eyes. "I'm sorry about what happened. And I promise, that I won't ever let something like that happen again."

"You promise?" Her boy sounded so broken and unsure. It hurt her to hear him speak that way.

"I promise, my son." Alma said as she gave him a reassuring wink. Enoch smiled and wiped the tears off of his cheeks quickly.

"Good. Just remember though," Enoch said seriously, "Polite persons don't go back on their word."

Alma nodded in agreeance. "I'm sorry to break up your guys' moment here, but how about we get the kiddos and bring them back to the house. I'm sure it'll be much more comfortable for them there than on that couch. And then I can take a look at that arm." Ellen said. Alma opened her mouth to ask her how she knew, but closed it.

 _I forgot you had telepathy in your list of powers._ Alma thought.

 _I only use it when given permission, Fay. You should know that. I can see you favoring it, and you flinched when you hugged Enoch._ Ellen's voice rang in Alma's head. Ellen gave her another mischievous grin, "There's a lot more now than last time. I can't wait to show you sometime."

The matriarch smiled before following her friend and her son back into the bridge to retrieve the rest of her children and start their new adventure.

* * *

 **So now we've met Eleonora, what are your thoughts?**

 **I also hope I didn't make Enoch seem too out of character here, but I felt like it was something that would have happened after the film. Enoch seemed to be more of a the protective/jealous type with his siblings, so I can only assume it would carry over to Miss. Peregrine as well.**

 **I will also be trying to updated every two to three days until this story is finished! I'm not sure exactly how long it will be right now, but I hope you all stick around and enjoy!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Happy Friday everyone!**

 **I'd like to thank anyone who has read/favorited/followed this story. I'm glad you're all enjoying it!**

 **Here's the next chapter where we see a little more of what the island of Viltaria looks like and the new place they're going to call home!**

* * *

 _The matriarch smiled before following her friend and her son back into the bridge to retrieve the rest of her children and start their new adventure._

* * *

"How much farther is it?" Millard complained. The group had been walking for over ten minutes, or at least most of them had been walking. Miss Peregrine held one of the twins whole Emma carried the other. Brownyn and Claire were carried by Eleonora. It was times like this that Millard was envious of the four. He remembered when he was that small, his ymbryne would also carry him, just as she did them.

"Polite persons do not complain." Alma reprimanded. Even though he was invisible, Alma could see him lower his head. Just as he always did when she had to scold him.

Alma had to admit though, she had been wondering the same thing as her invisible boy. It had been exactly thirteen minutes and twenty-three seconds since they started their adventure into the jungle like forest. She wasn't sure if it were the fact that she hadn't slept in over forty-eight hours or it was just the stress of everything that had happened, but she was beyond exhausted. She knew her children were also.

Luckily, the walk had been pleasant and the sun had started to rise, so her children weren't walking in the dark. The dirt path was surrounded by tall trees on all sides. They created a canopy with their leaves over the path. Alma had noticed that the trees had started to thin and spread apart the further into the island they walked.

"We're here." Ellen said. All the children stood in wonder at the house before them.

"I thought you said you lived in a house?" Jake questioned.

"I do?" Ellen said in confusion.

"No," Jake continued, "This is a mansion."

The house that sat in front of them, was indeed a mansion. It was an old Victorian style. The house was solely made of bricks. The dirt path that they had been walking turned into a smooth stone path that led the whole way to the house. A large fountain sat in the front of the house, surrounded by short bushes that created a small barrier around it. The house itself had two sets of windows above each other, showing it was at least two stories. As they got closer, Jake noticed that the stone path branched off to the right, which held a small patio area where here were benches. The front of the house had two archways that led to the entrance way.

"This is a castle! Are we going to live in the castle Miss. P?" Little Claire asked excitedly.

"We will for now, Children. Just until we find a place of our own." Alma didn't want to overstep her boundaries. She was thankful enough that her friend had taken them in during their time of need. She couldn't expect her to let them stay forever.

"Nonsense," Ellen said. "You can stay here as long as you want."

"What do you say we go in and get some breakfast, kids?" Ellen questioned. The children all happily agreed. "Alright, let's go!" Everyone followed the island's owner into their new home.

* * *

Ellen stopped walking once everyone entered the house. "I have an idea!" She said as she placed Claire and Bronwyn down on the floor. Miss. Peregrine and Emma doing the same with the Twins. "I've got an idea, how about you guys go explore the house while Miss. Peregrine and I make breakfast? Sound like a plan?"

The children looked to their ymbryne for approval. Alma nodded. "Remember how polite children behave in other's houses."

The children smiled and walked off, ready to explore the new place they'd call home. Once the children were out of sight, the two adults made their way down the long hallway, heading to the kitchen.

"When we're done with breakfast, you should take a break. I can watch the kiddos." Ellen offered as she led Alma to a chair at the kitchen's bar like table. She gently placed her hand over Alma's injured arm and began to heal her wound.

"I'll be fine, Ellen."

Eleonora sighed. She knew her friend was stubborn, and always put herself before her children. "Fay, listen to me. You're dead on your feet. You're beyond tired. You all had quite an experience, which you still have to tell me about. Viltaria is the safest place for you and the children. There's nothing that's going to happen. Nothing happens on this island without my knowledge."

"I don't doubt your abilities, but there's much to do. I have to tend to the children, and I have to find a place to start a new loop."

"Then start one here. You're more than welcome to make the loop here, for as long as you need. I told you that. The only thing I ask is that you leave it this current year, and not the 40's. I love you all to death, but there's so much more to 2016 than the 40's." Ellen released her hold on Alma's injury, her eyes scanning over her work. While she knew she could heal others, she always liked to make sure that her work was proficient.

Alma rolled her shoulder, relieved that the pain that had been there had completely disappeared. "Thank you."

Ellen flashed her a toothy smile. "No problem! So, what sounds good for breakfast?"

Alma looked around the kitchen. There were plenty of things that were new to her. She had seen other ymbrynes use them in their own loops, but personally had never thought of using them. "I'm sure scrambled eggs and toast would be sufficient."

Eleonora gave her friend a blank stare. "We've got all this stuff, and you want to make scrambled eggs?"

"I don't see the problem with that." Alma snapped.

"The 'problem with that'," Eleonora mocked, "Is that we have a whole kitchen full of supplies, and you want eggs. I think not. This is your first meal in this house, I'll be damned if it's eggs."

Alma sighed and mentally prepared herself to see what the red headed woman had in mind.

* * *

"This place is huge!" Fiona exclaimed happily as they entered yet another room. This one appeared to be that of a miniature library. The room was an open two storied room with pillars on the first floor that acted as a support system for the walkways above. Bookshelves lined the three walls, the bare wall's wallpaper was deep red. The bay window overlooked the left side of the property. A large mahogany table sat off to the left, with eight chairs surrounding it. To their right, there sat two couches, back to back.

"So," Jake brought his hand up and used his fingers to count. "This place has a library, a game room, a cinema room, and like twelve bedrooms."

"That's not counting the dining area and the kitchen." Millard added.

"I've got to agree with Fiona," Hugh said, "This place is huge."

All the children nodded in agreement. While Jake had recognized a lot of the technology that Lady Eleonora had, he notice that his friends hadn't. When they hand entered the game room, they had been overly amazed about the fact that the telephone didn't have a cord. Jake, however, had been overly impressed with the large shelf that held every gaming system he could possibly imagine.

"Children!" Miss. Peregrine's voice carried into the library. She appeared a moment later. "Ah, there you are. Breakfast is ready. Please follow me."

The children did as their caretaker asked. They followed her to a large area, which could only be the dining room. A large oak table sat in the middle of the room, with a large glass chandelier hanging above it. Fourteen chairs sat around the table.

All of the children's eyes lit up when the seen the abundance of food on the table. Pancakes, various bowls of fresh fruit, waffles, eggs, several stacks of toast, and a plate full of bacon and sausage were spread throughout the table. Fourteen plates sat in front of each of the empty chairs.

"Whatcha guys think?" Eleonora asked as she entered the room, caring two large pitchers. "I've got orange juice and milk in these, so hopefully that's okay."

"It's wonderful." Bronwyn said. None of them had realized how hungry they had been. The last time they had eaten anything had been the breakfast before Mr. Barron had shown up at their doorstep.

The children filed into the open seats. Alma took the seat at the head of the table, while Eleonora took the opposite end. Claire sat to the right of Miss. Peregrine, followed by Bronwyn, Millard, Hugh, Fiona, and Horace. To Alma's right sat the twins, Emma, Jake, Olive, and then Enoch. Everyone sat in their seats.

"What do we say children?" A chorus of 'thank you' had been heard.

"You're very welcome, kids. I hope you all like it."

A comfortable silence filled the room as everyone ate their food. After a large majority of the food had gone, Olive spoke up. "Lady Eleonora will you be able to teach us about this new technology?"

Eleonora looked from the firestarter to the matriarch at the head of the table. "As long as it's okay with Miss. Peregrine."

Alma scanned the faces of the table's inhabitants. All of her children had hopeful looks. "I think," Alma began, "that as long as long as we will be staying in this time we all should... adapt. As long as Lady Elonora and Mr. Portman do not mind showing us the way."

"I don't mind at all. How about you Jake?" Eleonora smiled. She was ecstatic that her friend had agreed to learn about the technology she surrounded herself with. Jake shook his head. "I don't mind at all." Cheers erupted from most of the children.

"If you'll excuse me, there's something I have to see to. Lady Eleonora, would you please keep an eye on the children?" Alma said as she excused herself from the table, entering the kitchen.

"Do you think we upset the bird?" Hugh questioned, staring at the doorway that his ymbryne had left through.

"Of course not!" Ellen tried to ease their wariness. She could tell that the thought of Alma being upset at them in any way seemed to upset them. "I'm certain she's not upset with you. You know, I have an idea. Jake, why don't you go show the children how movies work? The cabinets in the movie room are filled with anything you could imagine. Just please pick something child friendly."

Jake could tell that she wasn't asking. She was telling him. Deciding that she knew Miss. Peregrine better than he did, he decided to do as she asked. "Okay guys. Let me show you how great movies are." Most of the children got up and followed Jake out, with the exception of Enoch and Emma.

"Lady Eleonora," Enoch began, "What's going on with Miss. Peregrine?"

"I'm not sure what you mean." Ellen said as she stood up from the table, and began cleaning the area off. Emma and Enoch joined in.

"We know our mother well enough, something's wrong. What's going on?" Emma said.

Ellen shifted her gaze over the two wards in front of her. She could see the determination in their eyes. _You have some real protective kids, Fay._ Ellen though to herself. "While she hasn't told me what happened while she was captured, I'm sure it has something to do with that."

"I thought Miss. Peregrine said you had telepathic abilities?" Enoch hadn't meant to say it as forceful as he had, but stood by his statement.

"I do." Ellen folded her arms over her chest and stared the boy down. "But I do not pry into other's memories, unless absolutely necessary."

Enoch opened his mouth to tell the woman that it was necessary. That something there was something going on that they weren't aware of. He stopped however when he noticed the light outside growing darker. The other two in the room had seemed to notice it as well.

"You have to got to be kidding me." Eleonora said as she stared out the window in disbelief. "I swear to the birds above." Ellen ran out of the room. Enoch and Emma shared a look before following the redhead.

The two had followed Eleonora outside. They all watched as the sky seemed to turn back. The children had seen this plenty of times to know what, or who, was responsible. Standing on the patio outside, their ymbryne stood, pocket watch in hand. They could see her turning the time back on both the clock and the world around them. Once she was done, she looked from her watch to the sky. She had a relieved smile on her face.

It all happened in slow motion for Enoch and Emma. They watched as Alma looked up to the sky, with a relieved smile on her face. They watched as her smile disappeared and her eyes fluttered before she started to collapse.

"Miss. Peregrine!"


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello Everyone!**

 **I apologize for the cliffhanger in the last chapter. In this chapter we'll see a little more about Alma and Ellen's past. And a little more about what happened with Miss. P and Barron. Not to mention Ellen's greatest power.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 _They watched as her smile disappeared and her eyes fluttered before she started to collapse._

 _"Miss. Peregrine!"_

* * *

Alma groaned as she slowly opened her eyes. Blinking a couple of times to clear her eyes, she looked around. The first thing she noticed was that she was definitely not in her room. The room she currently resided in was twice the size of her room. She sat up and looked around. The first thing she noticed in said room had been the large, king sized bed she lay upon. It was a sleigh design made out of birch wood. A red and gold designed blanket covered the mattress. Several similarly designed pillows sat all around her. The room itself had a gray wallpaper with a birch trimming. A pair of matching dressers and a vanity sat in various areas around the room.

She tried to remember what had happened. The last thing she had remembered had been setting up a new loop. After that there was nothing. Panic seized her. _Where are the children?_ She thought to herself as she jumped out of bed and ran from the unfamiliar room. _Don't tell me he's found us already._

Alma ran down the long hallways, trying to listen for any noise from her children. As she turned a corner, she heard something. It was the sound of yelling. Setting her sights on the door at the far end of the hall, she walked as fast as her legs could carry her.

" _No! Please! Stop!"_ Hearing one of her girls cry out was enough for her to throw open the door. Alma was not prepared for the scene in front of her.

A large screen sat at the front of the room, a brightly colored movie playing. Alma noticed there seemed to be a hulkingly large man standing with a candied haired child. Broken pieces of something sat as his feet.

" _You really are a bad guy._ " The child had sniffled. _So, this must be what I heard. Thank the birds it wasn't one of my children._ Alma breathed a sigh of relief, realizing her children were still safe.

All of her children lay spread out around the room. Two large sectionals were pushed together, making a large 'U' shape around the screen. Most of her children lay sleeping on the sectionals. The exception being Hugh and Fiona. The two sat in the corners of the sectionals, their heads resting against the couches.

 _Where's Ellen?_ Alma thought to herself. She quietly walked further into the room. She couldn't help but smile as she walked around the side of the couch. Eleonora lay on her back, with Bronwyn and the twins curled up beside her.

 _Relax Fay, Wreck-It Ralph isn't as bad as people say._ Ellen's voice rang through Alma's mind. She looked back to her friend to see her eyes were now open, and she was staring at brunette with concern. Ellen could see that Alma was paler than usual. When the door had been opened, Ellen had awoken instantly. She could sense the overwhelming feeling of panic coming from the other woman from the other side of the door. She didn't need to be an empath or use her telepathy to see she was shaken up.

She untangled herself from the three sleeping children and ushered Alma out the door. They walked in silence to the kitchen. Alma sat on the bar stool and stared at her hands while Eleonora made tea. Once she was done, she poured them both a cup full and sat across from her longtime friend.

"I need you take a deep breath. Your thoughts are going to make me sick." Ellen said.

"I thought you don't read others minds without permission?" Alma snapped. She hadn't meant for it to come out as harsh as it did.

"Without necessity. There's a difference. I'll be damned if you walking into my cinema room looking like you're about to have a panic attack doesn't count as necessity." Ellen snapped. She took a calming breath, before continuing in a softer tone. "Tell me what happened, Fay."

"See for yourself." The last thing Alma wanted to do at this moment was talk about what happened during her time in the cage.

* * *

 _It had been exactly fifteen hours since she entered the cage and left her children in the hands of Mr. Portman._

 _"Welcome home!" Barron said as he ripped the cover off of the cage. Alma blinked a few times to adjust her eyes to the new abundance of light. "I hope the trip was to your liking." He chucked as he placed her cage down on a stand. "Now don't go anywhere! I have a surprise for you! I'll be right back."_

 _As soon as he left Alma looked around the room. She could tell this was the experiment room. A larger cage sat to her right. Four other ymbrynes already sat in the cage beside her._

 _"Not you too." One of the ymbrynes cried._

 _"What do you think he's going to do with us?" Another one questioned._

 _Alma turned her attention to the birds. She had accepted her fate the second she entered the cage, something told her these ladies had no idea what waited for them. "We're going to be used in another experiment for the wights. They're goal is to gain immortality by harnessing our powers."_

 _She left the women to their own as her thoughts returned to her children._

 _Barron reentered the room exactly two hours and twenty-three seconds after he left, wearing his sadistic smile. It only widened as he approached Alma's cage. She prepared herself to be thrown into the cage with her sisters._

 _Barron seemed to noticed that she had tensed. He let out a dark laugh. "On no, Miss. Peregrine. You're not going in there. My employer has asked that you remain separated from your lovely sisters. He's also asked me to pass a message along. He asked me to inform you that he can't wait to see his beloved sister again."_

 _Alma's blood ran cold._

* * *

Eleonora's face remained blank as she pulled out of Alma's memories. She looked at her dearest friend. Her face was in a deep frown. "I can see why you're concerned."

Eleonora remembered Alma's brothers very well. Caul had always been one to turn on his younger sister. He had always been very envious of her talents and ability to manipulate time. Eleonora had lost count of how many times she had come to Alma's defense. The abuse stopped shortly after Ellen had arrived at the school. She and Alma had become fast friends. While Alma had never raised a hand to her brother, or bothered trying to stop him, the redhead hadn't thought twice. She had even broken the boy's arm once.

"I want you to listen to me." Ellen said. She knew that deep down Alma loved her brother because he was family, no matter what he had done in his past. She had always hoped that he would realize the errors of his ways. He hadn't however, just as Eleonora suspected. "I want you to stay here with me no matter what. I won't let him take you, or your children. I know how much of a stubborn mule you can be, but I don't want to take the chance of him getting his hands on you. It was bad enough when we were teenagers."

"I'm not infallible, I am perfectly capable of protecting my children." Alma snapped.

"I'm not saying that, Fay. I want to help you. I know you well enough by now. Hell, we've been friends for over a century. I know how your mind works. You think that he'll see the error of his ways still. He won't. He's evil. And I know you don't want to hear that, because he's your family; but damn it Alma, you and these children are my family. And I'll be damned if I let him hurt my family." The two fell silent.

"I'm worried for you too." Alma said after a few moments. It had been the truth. She had always been worried that Caul would try and seek his revenge on Eleonora for protecting her. "What if he finds your pendant?"

"Well..." Eleonora gave her friend a guilty look. "About that. I may or may not have misplaced it."

"You what?"

"I said may or may not. I'm not exactly sure yet."

" _Eleonora Scarlett Tamm_." The ymbryne hissed. "You're telling me that you lost the one thing that you need! How could you be so reckless! What if something happened to it? Could you imagine what would happen!"

Eleonora stared her friend down. While Miss. Peregrine may have had some hold on her children, Fay had nothing on Ellen. She had to admit though, she could definitely see why the children would want to avoid her wrath.

"Look. I don't 'need it'. It just helps keeping the powers I mimic. Part of my peculiarity remember?" The item in question had been a gift from her mother before she had passed. The pendant had been given to her mother by a priestess outside of their village. The necklace of the pendant had been made out of silver. The pendant itself had been a swirl of silver that had branched out of the square cut sapphire that sat in the middle.

"And if I recall, that is what helps keep your gift under control!"

"I don't need it anymore. I've learned how to summon the powers that I have taken, and how to let go of the ones that I don't need or use. The only downfall is that once I forget them I can't resummon them. Which is why I've been keeping most of them under wraps. I've built up my powers for over a century, there's some that I just can't part with. I would also like to point out that I'm immortal, remember?"

Memories flashed through Alma's mind. She remembered very well how her friend had ended up with the gift that everyone so dearly desired.

* * *

 _It had been a clear sunny day, just as it had been every day since Alma had created her loop. Alma flew through the sky, letting the ocean air surround her. She landed on the top of the church's roof. From this spot, Alma had learned, she had an almost full view of the island. Which came in handy on days like today. Every other Tuesday Alma would let her children roam the island for four hours._

 _Fiona could be found in the marketplace, selling her vegetables and rare flowers. Emma, Olive, and Victor would always take the twins, Bronwyn, and Claire to play at the park with the other younger children of the island. Horace and Enoch would browse the shops. Hugh and Millard could be found causing mischief, whether it be scaring the townsfolk or playing pranks._

 _A loud whistle caught Alma's attention. She looked down below her. Eleonora stood at the entrance of the church, looking up at her. Alma flew into the alleyway between the church and the building beside it. Making sure no one could see her, she changed back._

 _She walked out of the alleyway and over to her friend who leaned against the church with her arms crossed. Alma could tell something had been bothering her. Eleonora had always been a bubbly person, always happy. Now, she couldn't see any trace of her in the woman that stood in front of her._

 _"What happened?"_

 _"What, no hello Alma?" Eleonora remarked, not looking at the ymbryne. She continued to stare ahead, seeming to be lost in thought. Alma didn't respond. She simply waited just as she would with her children. After a few minutes, Ellen finally spoke up. "So. I'm immortal now."_

 _"Excuse me?"_

 _"I'm immortal now." Ellen shrugged._

 _"What do you mean by 'I'm immortal now'? It's not possible, Ellie. Please don't tell me you've joined them."_

 _"What? Birds no!" Eleonora seemed genuinely offended by her friend's statement. "I met this old woman when I was in Brazil. She looked like she had been in her late sixties. Apparently, she wasn't. She was over four hundred years old Fay."_

 _"So how are you immortal then?"_

 _"She told me she had been waiting for someone with my gift. This way she could 'pass it along'. She was tired of living, Fay. She had experienced the loss of most of her family. I didn't realize what she had meant at the time. So, I copied her powers." Tears began to fill Eleonora's eyes as she finally looked to her friend. "I didn't know it would kill her. I didn't know that's what she had meant by pass it along. I took her immortality Fay. I took the only thing that had been keeping her alive. I murdered her. I'm a monster."_

 _Alma had been shocked. It was a very rare occasion that her friend cried. Her maternal instincts kicked in and she pulled the redhead into a hug. "It will be okay. I want you to listen to me. You are not a murder. I've known you for a long time now. You couldn't hurt a fly. This woman must have wanted to be at peace with her family." Alma pulled back and cupped Ellen's face. "You are not, nor will you ever be a monster to me, or my children for that matter. You are the closest thing to family I have now. I don't want you to forget that."_

* * *

"There's no need to worry about me, I'm immortal, remember?" Eleonora winked. They had learned late on that the gift had stopped aging in his tracks, just as a loop would. They had found out the hard way that while her aging stopped, her body had still been vulnerable to injuries. Luckily she had found a peculiar that had the ability to heal.

"That's what I'm most worried about." Alma said. She couldn't help but imagine the worst. If her brother had ever found out that she had been immortal, he would target her as well.

"It'll be okay, Fay. I promise. We got this!"


	5. Chapter 5

**Firstly, I wanna apologize for not updating like I had said. I have two jobs now, so my update schedule has changed. I'm going to try to keep updating at least once a week. But I can't promise it.**

 **Secondly, this chapter will be a little different from the rest. I wanted to do something along the lines of 'a day in the life of' from Alma's POV. Hopefully you all enjoy the layout of this one!**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 _"It'll be okay, Fay. I promise. We got this!"_

* * *

 _ **4:35 AM**_

Alma slowly opened her eyes. She blinked a few times to adjust to the darkness of her new room. It had been exactly two weeks and three days since Alma and the children had moved into the mansion. True to her word, Eleonora and Alma had gotten the children on a schedule. Luckily, things had transitioned smoothly for everyone. She made her way out of bed. She made her bed before heading into her private bathroom to get ready for the day.

 _ **5:15 AM**_

The house was silent, with all its inhabitants asleep with the exception of two. Alma stood in front of the large marble counter. Various ingredients sat around her. She hummed to herself as she prepared their breakfast for the day. She didn't bother to stop when the door to the kitchen open. She knew very well whom would be walking through the door.

"Mornin' Fay." Eleonora said as she poured herself a cup of coffee and sat on one of the bar stools as she watched her friend work.

"Good morning Ellen." Alma said politely. "Did you manage to find anything out?"

"Not yet. They've gone back underground from what I can tell. No loop has seen them or heard from them since the incident in Blackpool." Eleonora explained as she took the sugar canister and began pouring it in.

While creating a new loop on Viltaria and having Eleonora around eased some of the panic Alma felt, it didn't ease all of it. She knew very well that her brother had something planned for her. She knew him well enough to know that he wouldn't give up. Eleonora had thought the same thing.

* * *

 _"Are you certain about this Ellen?" Alma was hesitant to let her long-time friend risk so much for her. There had been no other reports about any attacks on loops, or any wight activity._

 _"Relax Fay." The redhead said as she walked outside, the ymbryne following in tow. Eleonora breathed in the fresh night air. The crescent moon hung high above them. Starts covered the sky. "Look, I know you're worried. But it's safer for me to go out and investigate. Plus, the children need you here."_

 _"How are you going to get there though? It's a five-hour trip by boat."_

 _"Did you forget I can copy powers?" Eleonora smirked. "I copied your power to change into a falcon a while ago, remember?"_

 _Alma had remembered very well. It was the first time that she had witnessed Ellen use her true ability. She hadn't been exaggerating when she said she could copy. When she had changed, she had been an exact replica of Alma's bird form. The only difference being the color. Alma's feathers were a deep blue, just as her hair had been. Eleonora's feathers could rival the color of a scarlet ibis. She had been slightly larger than Alma's form as well._

 _"Look, I'll go and get some insight and see what the others know. I'll be back by morning. Don't wait up!" Ellen said before she took her bird form and flew into the sky._

* * *

"It would be healthy to have some coffee with your sugar, Ellen." Alma smirked. Ellen had always had a high sugar tolerance and tended to consume a large amount. Whether it be half a canister in her coffee or tea, or eating sugary treats.

Ellen stuck her tongue out. "I stopped by Finch's loop. She's still as bit-" The Ymbryne gave her a sharp look. Alma had been very clear when it came to Elenora's language. She could make any sailor blush. While she had been doing well for the most part, every now and then the Ymbryne would catch her slip. "Bitter. I was going to say bitter."

"Of course, you were."

"Anyway," Ellen continued. "She has no idea about anything. So that makes seven of your sisters that have no idea. At least Balenciaga had some form of idea as to what's going on. The others are completely clueless."

"Do not be too hard of them, Ellen. They must believe that their loops will be safe."

"I found them no problem." Ellen pointed out. "So, imagine what Caul could do. For all we know he's still got an army of-" Eleonora stopped as she heard the sound of shuffling feet.

"An army of what?" Claire appeared in the doorway a second later. Dressed in bright pink and white polka-dotted pajamas. She had matching pink fuzzy slippers. In her arms she held a small yellow rabbit that Miss. Peregrine had gotten for her on her first night under Alma's care.

Alma and Ellen exchanged looks. "An army of, uh, creepy spiders." Ellen wiggled her fingers at Claire for added effects.

"Ew! Gross!" Claire giggled. Alma smiled at her little girl.

"Claire, my dear, what are you doing up so early?" Alma asked as she walked over to her little princess and scooped her up in her arms. She walked back over to the counter where Eleonora sat, and sat her youngest ward beside her on the stool. Claire avoided looking at her ymbryne, instead finding a spot on the marble count much more interesting.

"Well, it's been a long night for me." Ellen said as she stood up from her seat. She could tell that the young girl needed time alone with her caretaker. She walked over and picked up a piece of the toast that Alma had made. "I'm going to bed. Have a good day, Princess." Ellen said before she kissed the top of Claire's head before disappearing.

Alma waited patiently for her little one to explain herself. "I had a nightmare." Alma waited for her to explain. Claire still couldn't bring herself to look at her adoptive mother. "We were back on at the house with the bad man. And he took you away. Only we couldn't find you again."

Tears streamed down the little girl's face. Alma sighed, it had been weeks since the incident. She had hoped that her children could put it behind them, but it was showing to be difficult. Especially for her younger ones. She could see the eldest ones seemed to be watching her when they thought she wasn't paying attention. Her youngest ones seemed to be more interested in staying closer to her.

Alma sat closer to her troubled girl. She picked her up and placed her lap. She held onto Claire as she rocked her back and forth. She played with the mess of curls, making sure to avoid her backmouth.

"Hush my little one." Alma said, blinking back her own tears. She knew she had to be strong for her children, but seeing her little Claire in such distress hurt her more than what any wight would have done. "I promise I won't leave you. Ever again."

Alma waited a few minutes until Claire had fallen asleep in her arms. She carefully stood up, and walked her back to her room. She slowly placed her in her bed, and covered her up. She placed a kiss on her forehead before heading back to finish breakfast.

 _ **6:50 AM**_

Alma had just finished placing the last plate down when her children filed into the room. Each took their normal seat. All were dressed and ready for the day. Alma stood at the head of the table, waiting for them all to sit. One they did, she sat herself and they all began enjoying their breakfast.

"Miss. P, where's Lady Eleonora?" Jake asked. He and the others had noticed right away that she had been absent from their meal. They also noticed how it would happen at least once every week.

Alma's eyes scanned her children's faces. They all appeared to be wondering the same thing. "She is resting. Lady Eleonora had a long night. She did not sleep very well." Alma lied.

That seemed to be enough for her children, for now. They all continued on with their breakfast.

 _ **7:39 AM**_

It had taken a day or two for Alma to get used to having to reset her loop in the morning. But she had to admit, she liked the new time better. She and the children filed out into the back yard. They stood on the tiled patio. Both Alma and her children had been happier with this loop. The children could clearly see the loop changing, seeing how there had been no need for masks.

Alma watched her pocket watch carefully, waiting for the exact time. As soon as the clock hit, Alma pressed the stem of her watch. The children looked around in awe. While they had seen many of loop resets, having one in the morning time had been a completely different experience.

The monarch butterfly that had been fluttering around them had frozen. Alma wound the clock, and time itself, back. They sky faded from dark back to light.

Alma smiled at her work, before smiling to her children.

 _ **10:08**_ _ **AM**_

"You definitely got yourself some keepers, Fay." Eleonora's voice said as she joined Alma on the bench. The two were sitting on the patio, watching the children go about their free time. Bronwyn, Claire, and the Twins were playing in the yard. Ellen had bought a swing set and had made a small playground area for them over the past few weeks. Hugh and Millard were playing soccer. Horace was seated under a shady tree, reading one of the books from the library. Fiona had been in the garden area that Ellen had dedicated for her. Emma and Jake had taken a walk around the island. The only two that were not outside, were Enoch and Olive. The pair were in Enoch's room.

"I know I do. My children are wonderful. I would not trade them for the world." Alma said with a smile on her face. Every day since the incident she had thanked the birds that her children were unharmed.

"Watch out!" Millard's voice warned. Ellen put her hands out and caught the ball with one hand, inches away from her face.

"We're so sorry!" Hugh said as he ran to the pair.

Ellen smiled as she stood. "You two really need to learn how to keep the ball on the ground." Ellen teased. She dropped the ball on the ground and rolled it between her feet. She winked at the boys as she kicked the ball back up into the air. "Come and get it." Ellen caught the ball before jumping off of the banister. Alma laughed as her boys stood there stunned for a minute. After they realized what had happened, the two grinned at each other before taking off after the redhead, determined to get their ball back.

 _ **12:01 PM**_

"You need to keep your stance wide, Jake." Ellen's voice said. Alma stopped in the doorway of the training room. She watched as her newest ward stood with his back to her. He stood in a stance that Alma had seen Ellen use plenty of times.

* * *

 _"Lady Ellen." Jake said as he approached her in the hallway. "There's something I'd like to ask of you."_

 _Alma stood on the other side of the doorway. She frowned slightly. In the back of her mind she knew that polite persons did not easedrop on other's covnerastions, but she couldn't help herself._

Why is he going to Ellen? _Alma thought to herself. She was his ymbryne after all. Not her friend._ Maybe he doesn't trust you.

 _"Sure Jake, what's up?"_

" _I heard that you know martial arts and know a lot about weapons. I was wondering if you could teach me?"_

I knew it. He doesn't trust that I'll be able to protect him. _Her heart broke at the thought. She had always been taught that it was her duty to protect her children. And now, her children didn't feel like she was enough._

" _Why's that Jake?" Ellen asked._

" _Well," Jake's voice softened. "When Miss. Peregrine left me in charge of her children, I didn't know anything about how to protect them. I can't even shoot a crossbow straight. I know that Miss. Peregrine is back, but I want to be able to help protect her and the children. She's made me feel more at home than I did in my own home. Don't get me wrong I love my parents. They just didn't understand me. She does. And it's hard for me to feel useful to her. I don't have any defensive powers. I don't want to be useless."_

He feels like he isn't good enough? _Alma thought._

" _You want to protect them?"_

" _Yes ma'am. They are my family after all." Alma could hear the determination in his voice._

" _Then you have yourself a trainer. But let me warn you, it won't be easy." Eleonora warned._

" _That's fine. Can we please keep this between us for now? I know that after everything happened Miss. P is still recovering, even though she won't admit it. I don't want to upset her."_

" _You got it, Jake."_

* * *

"Keep your body lower, Jake." Ellen said as she placed one arm behind her back. She held a short sword in her right hand. She tapped his sword with her own. "Eyes on me."

 _ **7:00 PM**_

"Okay, time to pick a movie!" Ellen exclaimed as she walked over to her expansive movie collection.. Every night at this time, all the children gathered around to watch a movie. It has become a part of their routine, just as it had before. "I've got an idea. Well watch a Disney movie tonight."

 _It's child friendly right?_ Alma questioned. She had caught the redhead watching a horrible movie with a man in a white mask that murdered people with a kitchen knife.

 _Have some faith, Fay. I'm not going to watch a slasher film with the younger ones here. You should watch one sometime. They're really good._ Ellen's voice rang in her head.

 _I'll pass, thank you._ Alma couldn't imagine how something like that could be considered 'good'. Even Jacob had tried to get the matriarch to watch one.

Ellen placed the DVD into it's player before flopping down on the couch. Bronwyn and Claire had curled up beside her almost instantly. Alma sat on the opposite side, with the twins on either side of her. All of her other children had found their own spots on the large cough.

"What movie are we watching Lady Ellen?" Bronwyn asked.

"It's called Frozen, kiddo. You'll love it."

 _ **11:15 PM**_

Alma breathes a relieved sigh as she closed the door. All of her children had finally laid down for bed. She had just finished telling her youngest girls their bedtime story.

Alma made her way down the corridor and back to the kitchen. She knew Ellen would already be there, a pot of coffee for herself and a kettle of tea for Alma. Alma was beyond grateful for her friend. She was great with the children. They all adored her, and for that she was glad.

Alma took her seat across from Ellen. "Will you be leaving again tonight?"

"Yeah," Ellen said as she took a sip of her coffee. "There's a lead that I want to check out. I should be back by breakfast at the latest."

Alma nodded. "Please be careful."

"Always." Ellen said before she disappeared out the door.

Alma walked over to the sink and washed her cup. She dried her hands before placing the cup back onto the shelf. Deciding it was late enough, Alma headed towards her bedroom.


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey guys,**

 **First thing's first here. I wanna apologize for it taking me almost a year to update this story. I'm so terribly sorry. I got busy with life things and this kinda just got pushed to the bottom of my list. I do want to let you guys know that I am still working on this. I've come up with a couple ideas on where I'm taking this, so it may still take me some time but I'm determined to finish this story. and the good news being it definitely won't be another year for the next chapter.**

 **Again, I'm so very sorry it's taken so long. Hopefully this chapter makes up for it.**

 **In this chapter we see a little more of the Alma/Ellen interactions. Things are gonna start getting interesting from here guys!**

* * *

Alma gave an exhausted sigh as she slowly shut the door to her youngest girls' room. She rested her head on the door for a moment. Taking a deep breath, she collected her thoughts. Even though she would have never had told a soul, her children had been testing her patience as of late. The problem hadn't been her youngest either. Oh no, her four eldest children had been the ones that had almost pushed her past her limit.

In the quietness of the mansion, Alma could hear the distinct sounds of rustling from the kitchen. A frown formed on her face as she walked towards the sound.

It didn't take her long to find the source of the noise. Alma put herself on guard as she slowly looked around in the kitchen. She and the children were the only inhabitants on the island. Eleonora had left the prior morning to check out another lead in a loop. Her eyes fell on the intruder's silhouette.

"You're back awfully fast." Alma said skeptically as she approached the figure that stood in front of the fridge. The intruder kept their back to the ymbryne, not bothering to turn around. In a blink of an eye, the silhouette was gone.

"I learned a new peculiarity." The silhouette's voice said from behind the brunette. Alma turned around to see none other than Eleonora standing behind her with a toothy grin on her face. The woman disappeared into a puff of light gray smoke.

"Pretty nifty, isn't it?" Ellen said. She was now sitting in the chair behind the island in the middle of the room. Alma smiled as she walked to the cabinet and removed two glasses from inside.

"I must say. This one will be very useful in the future. How did the lead go?" Alma questioned as she placed the glasses on the table, one in front of herself and the other in front of her friend. She moved over to the refrigerator to get something to fill the glasses with.

"Madeline's group has heard some stories, but nothing concrete. She did tell me that she has a bad feeling about the whole thing." Ellen explained. Alma stopped pouring the drinks and looked at the redhead. Madeline Raven had a gift of prophecy. It was not nearly as strong as Horace's gift, but Ellen could count on one hand the times she had been wrong.

"What does she think?" Alma placed the cap back on the juice she had taken

"She thinks their planning something. Something big." The two shared a look. "But this could be the fifth time she's wrong. So, here's to hoping." Ellen said as she grabbed her glass and raised it in the air before taking a drink. The two sat in silence for a while, each taking sips of their drinks.

"I want you to promise me something." Alma spoke as she sat her glass down and turned to her friend. "If something happens to me that you will take care of the children for me."

"Nothin' is gonna happen to you, Fay."

"Just humor me. Promise me you won't be the hero in any situation and that you will take care of my children."

"I can't promise you that." Ellen snapped. "Don't get me wrong, if anything ever happens to you I'll care for the children. However, if the situation ever presents itself and I can do something to stop it, you can bet your ass that I will do everything in my power to stop it. I'm not going to stand by and watch something happen to you. I won't let him or anyone else near you. I'd gladly lay my life on the line for you and those children."

"You see, this is exactly why I didn't want you to get involved!" Alma growled, her frustration with the conversation growing. She couldn't understand why Ellen had to act the way she did. Why couldn't she just honor her wishes? For once she wished the woman would just listen to her. "Why, for once in your life, can't you just listen to me and stay out of matters that do not concern you!"

"Because these 'matters', as you like to say, do concern me!"

"Nothing about this situation pertains to you, Ellen! You just want to make it about yourself because for whatever reason you obsessed with playing the hero! And now that there is a situation that lets you do it you are more than ready to throw yourself in some form of danger just to prove the point that you can do it. I don't need you coddling me like a child! Besides, it's your reckless ambitions that will get you killed one day because you can't seem to act like an adult and handle situations properly!" Alma regretted the words as soon as they left her mouth. Her pride, and anger, at the moment kept her from apologizing.

Ellen's eyes narrowed. She stood up so quickly the stool that she had been sitting on flew to the ground with a loud crash. Neither of the two women flinched, each of them staring intently at the other. "Is that what you think? You think I do what I do because I want to be the hero? You're so dense Fay. You really are." Ellen opened her mouth to say something else, but close it quickly. She pushed past the ymbryne.

"Where are you going?" Alma demanded as Ellen headed for the open archway.

Ellen threw her hands up in the air, her back still to Alma. "Since I 'can't act like an adult' then that means I don't have to stand here and debate with you like one. I'll be in the training room, come find me whenever you get what crawled up your ass out of it." And just like that the redhead had disappeared.

Alma stood in the kitchen trembling slightly. It was very rare for her and Ellen to fight. In the decades of knowing each other she recall only two incidents where they had a disagreement. _None of them ever escalated that quickly or ended that horribly._ She thought to herself. She gave an exasperated sigh as she leaned over and picked up the fallen stool. She blinked back tears of frustration as she sat it in it's right position. She snatched up the glasses on the island counter and made her way over to the sink, trying her best to reign in all her rampaging emotions.

Alma braced herself against the sink as a single strangled sob escaped along with a couple tears. Everything had finally begun to catch up with her from the past few weeks. The events that happened while she was captured, the reoccurring nightmares she had been experiencing, and trying to find out her brother's plans for her. _Not to mention trying to keep a normal appearance for the children._

"Is everything alright Miss?" Alma cursed every bird above at this moment. The last thing she had wanted to deal with at this moment was the questions of one of her eldest.

"Olive, you should be asleep. It is past lights out." The ymbryne didn't turn towards her ward, but began washing the cups she had placed in the sink, trying to give the illusion of her being okay.

"I know Miss, I had just come down to get a drink when I heard yelling and a crash. Are you sure that everything is okay?" The firestarter asked. She knew very well that something had happened between the two women of the house. She, along with all of the other children had come to think of Eleonora as an aunt figure, just as they saw Alma as their mother. She had never seen the two fight, and if she were being honest, what had happened scared her.

She had passed Eleonora in the hallway on her way to the kitchen. The scarlet haired woman had given her a forced smile. "I wouldn't go in there Fire Bug. It's probably for the best if you go right to back to bed." Ellen had said in a defeated tone. That, along with the fact she was still very thirsty, had been what kept her from turning around and heading back to her room.

Olive watched as her ymbryne brought her hand up to her face, brushing away a few tears before turning towards her. "Everything is fine, Olive. Let's get you a drink so you can go back to sleep." Alma poured Olive a glass of water in one of the freshly clean cups. Olive took the cup from her mother and took a drink.

"Miss, can I say something?" Alma's eyes narrowed as she inspected Olive, as if trying to find her motive, but she nodded. Olive took this as her chance to talk freely. "Please don't be upset with me Miss. You don't want to tell us what is going on, because we are children." Olive stated. "And I understand that, but in the same regard, we are worried about you. While I'm not saying that you need to tell us everything, we are here if you need us. Especially Enoch, Jake, Emma, and myself. We've noticed a change in you. It's nothing bad, but you always seem so tense. Like something is going to happen. We want to make sure you're okay."

"This is becoming ridiculous." Alma muttered to herself before turning her attention to Olive. "Olive I will not have this discussion with you. I am fine. I want you to listen to me because I am only going to say this once. You are my wards, my children. My job is to protect you, and I will do just that. I will not involve you in matters such as this."

Olive sighed. She had known that this conversation would not end well. Her ymbryne had already put her walls back up. She decided that it was best to end this conversation quickly, before her ymbryne's anger turned on her. "I know, Miss. I'm not denying that. You are the best ymbryne there is. We just worry about you is all. You are our mother after all. It's only natural that we worry about you as well." Olive stood. She placed a quick kiss on Alma's cheek. "Goodnight Miss Peregrine. I'll see you in the morning."


End file.
